Grammys Omit Brent Hinds from 'In Memoriam' Despite His Impact on Metal Music
Grammys Omit Brent Hinds from 'In Memoriam' Despite His Impact on Metal Music
Jason BrowTue, February 3, 2026 at 1:30 AM UTC
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You can spend twenty-five years as the celebrated guitarist of an era-defining metal band, tour the world to play in front of millions of fans, even win a Grammy award for Best Metal Performance...and the Recording Academy still won't air your name during the "In Memoriam" segment after your tragic death.
The Grammys have a notoriously poor track record with metal (Metallica lost the first Metal Performance Grammy to Jethro Tull in 1989). However, with the Recording Academy scheduling a star-studded tribute to Ozzy Osbourne during the Feb. 1 ceremony, metalheads hoped this would mean the Recording Academy would also recognize Brent Hinds, the Mastodon guitarist who died in a motorcycle accident on August 20, 2025.
That was not the case. As Post Malone, Slash, Duff McKagan, Andrew Watt and Chad Smith performed "War Pigs" in honor of Ozzy, images of late rockers appeared on the back screen: Ace Frehley (Kiss), Mick Ralphs (Bad Company), Rick Derringer, Chris Jasper (The Isley Brothers), Roy Thomas Baker, Clem Burke (Blondie) Brian James (The Damned), Jellybean Johnson (The Time), and David Johansen (New York Dolls).
The omission upset many because Mastodon a six-time Grammy-nominated band, having won Best Metal Performance in 2018 for "Sultan's Curse."
Troy Sanders, Brann Dailor, Brent Hinds, and Bill Kelliher of Mastodon attend The 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards at the STAPLES Center on February 8, 2015Photo by Jason Merritt on Getty Images (Photo by Jason Merritt on Getty Images)
but Mastodon opened Back To The Beginning, the 2025 Black Sabbath/Ozzy Osbourne farewell concert. Earlier in the night, the 2026 Grammys awarded Yungblud with the Best Rock Performance for his cover of "Changes," which he performed at Back to the Beginning.
"BIG party foul Grammys for forgetting the MIGHTY Brent Hinds in the In Memoriam," wrote Mike Inez, bassist for Alice In Chains, on Instagram.
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Brann Dailor, drummer for Mastodon and bandmate of Brent Hinds, added a series of fire emojis on Inez's post. Pearl Aday, daughter of Meatloaf, added that the Grammys "also failed to acknowledge my father the year that he passed." Gary Holt of Exodus/Slayer wrote, "LAME."
The rest of the comments were just as degasified: "The Grammys have disrespected hard rock and heavy metal since 1989. No surprises"; "They suck"; "Would have been a no-brainer to put him up on screen during the Ozzy tribute"; "such a great talent overlooked!"
Related: Mastodon Remembers Late Guitarist in Powerful Onstage Tribute: 'We Were Brothers to the End'
Bassist Pete Griffin (Dethklok, Stevie Vai) commented, "Fully agree. I keep saying I can't think of anyone else who inspired so many weirdos to pick up an instrument and make art. I miss him every day." He also called out the Grammys with his own post.
The Recording Academy keeps an database of "the artists, creators and music professionals we've lost over the years." The entry for Hinds doesn't feature a clear photo of him, though it does acknowledge his work with Mastodon.
Hinds and Mastodon parted ways in early 2025. Though Mastodon's statement said the split was mutual, Hinds later claimed he was "kicked out" of the group while disparaging his former bandmates.
Hinds died after his motorcycle collided with a BMW SUV in Atlanta, Georgia. A month after his death, the Atlanta Police Department shared a report, finding that Hinds was driving twice the speed limit and that he was at fault for the fatal crash.
Related: 2000s Rock Singer Responds After Failing to Win a Single Grammy
This story was originally published by Parade on Feb 3, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
